SAN PEDRO SULA
Global Mark : na
Description : The second biggest town of Honduras
Comments : You usually have no choice but to pass through but you usually can avoid staying there
What to do ? Not much to do actually : you could walk for half an hour between the train station (nice old loco), the plaza and the market. During daytime, it is quite safe. / If you have some time to spare, check the Museum of Anthropology & History (3a Av & 4a C NO, closed Tuesday, L10 but free the first Sunday of every month) / If more time & money, explore El Cusuco's cloud forest (see below)
What you may not like ? The whole place ! / The poor kids sleeping on the pavement / The safety issues at night / The sticky weather
How long ? Half an hour would be just fine. A few people however did like the place and stayed a bit more...
Where to stay ? San Pedro is a big place so it is slightly more expensive than the average. The following are conveniently located near the plaza :
- ® Hotel San Pedro (5501513, hotelsanpedro@123.hn), 3 C. between 1 & 2 Av., two blocks S of train station / 100(1) 120(2),Sgl w. shower 122, Dbl w. HW 197 / Free water / Internet L70 per hour / Go there for the cheapest prices, the nice lobby and the ok rooms
- Terraza (5503108, hotel_terreza@mail.usa.com), 6 Av, 4 & 5 C. / Sgl w. TV & shower 160, Dbl 220, w. HW 260, w. AC 330 / Bigger rooms but no outside window for the cheapest
- Real Del Valle (5504836), just S of the above / Dbl w. AC, HW & TV 300 / Go there to check the rooms
-
® Hotel San Jose ((5571208), S of the above, 6C / 100(1) or 125(2) w. shower, 150(1) or 175(2) w. AC, + 12% tax / Free water / Go there for the ok rooms, especially upstairs w. a window
Backpacker's Tips : Rodrigo González Mera, Chile (April 03)
« Hotel Roma: near the Bus station of Copán, 70 Lempiras for two person,
share bath, with fan, good view of the terrace, not to clean, but really near the station
/ Hotel El Castillo: near the Bus Station to Copán in the same street of Hotel Roma, it look a little bit old and dirty, we didn't ask there for the
price, but a person recommend better the Hotel Roma / Restaurant: Tres Fronteras: near bus station to Copán and the Hotel Roma, good dinner
for 30 Lempiras with drink, not so clean but near the Hotel / Bus: Guasaule - Tegucigalpa: 4 hrs., 40 Lempiras (one ticket), you can get off
the bus in the Tegucigalpa to take the bus to San Pedro Sula, tell the driver /
Tegucigalpa - San Pedro Sula: 4 hrs., 84,5 Lempiras (one ticket) (direct bus: Expresso Rey)
/ San Pedro Sula - Entradas: 1 ¾ hrs., 50 Lempiras (one ticket) direct bus) /
Entradas - Copan Ruinas: 2 hrs., 28 Lempiras (one ticket) / Be careful at the station, a little bit dangerous at
night / Try to take the bus from Tegucigalpa at 1:30 PM, so you come with light to
search the Hotel, the Terminal in San Pedro Sula from "Expresso Rey", it's located near the Bus station to Copán (4
blocks).»
Backpacker's Tips : Anthony Asael,
Belgium (Nov 01)
« Great Cheap Hotel : Hotel Roma, next to the Bus station for Copan
(but quiet !). Only inconvenient open till 22h. L70 for a double, L40 for single without shower but with fan. L100
for Dbl with shower. »
Where to eat ?
A lot of places in town, incl. Burger King & Pizza Hut in case you are fed
up with beans...
El Cusuco National Park ? 20km West of San
Pedro in the impressive Sierra del Merondon, this park would be a great place to
spot animals (incl the Quetzal) and plants if it was not so tricky to reach. The
access road is located at the small town of Cofradia, 18km of San Pedro, off
highway CA-4. From there, a dirt road (tricky in the rainy season, 4WD
recommended) continues for 26km to the village of Buenos Aires. The park's
entrance is a further 5km away. The entrance fee is $5. Basic facilities &
water available. It is recommended to spend the night for the best experience.
Four tiny trails (1 to 2.5 km long) have been created in the lower section of
the cloud-forest, the highest sections being off access. If interested,
get info in advance at the Hector Rodrigo Pastor Fasquelle Ecological
Foundation (ouf !), located above the Pizzeria Italia, 1C, 7 Av NO in
San Pedro (5521014). And if you visit, be kind enough to contribute...
Leaving ? There are no central terminal : each company got his own ! Fortunately, they are not usually too far from each other and more are located within walking distance from the Plaza. The best source of info for transport is Honduras Tips. If you did not get a copy, some info for the logical destinations :
- Lago de Yogoa (La Guama) : Nortenos, 6 C. 6-7 Av., 5522145 / El Rey, 7 Av. 5-6 C., 5534264 / L15-20, 1-2 hours, every 30mn
- Tegucigalpa : a lot of companies w. luxury, direct or (not recommended) non-direct buses. For e.g. El Rey Express, 9 Av. 9-10 C., 5508355 / 5:30 to 18:30, every hour, 4 hours direct.
- Gracias : Gracianos (direct), 6 C. 6-7 Av. / Daily at 2pm
- Copan Ruinas : Casasola, 6 Av, 7 C., 5581659, 2pm (direct), 11am & 1pm (non-direct) / Transport Gama, 6 C. 6-7 Av., 5522861, 7am (direct)
- Puerto Cortes : Expresos del Atlantico (direct), 6 Av., 7-8 C. SO / Impala (direct & non-direct), 2 Av. 4-5 C. SO / L10-15, every 30mn, 1-2 hours
- Tela : Best is to take the train on Frid or Sund (6:30, L15, 5 hours) / Otherwise, bus to La Ceiba (1.5 hours)
- La Ceiba : Catisa-Tupsa, 2 Av. 5-6 C. SO, 5521042 / 5:30 to 18, every 60-90mn, 3 hours
The trip to Omoa via Puerto Cortes : SS
+ SSS / L&R + Right / L15 + L6 / 1 hour + 40mn
I did not repeat my mistake and took a direct bus. The announced time was 40mn but it took a bit longer. Indeed, if we did not stop to pick up passengers, we stopped quite a few times to let passengers get off.
Some people like Puerto Cortes, the biggest port in Central America, but I did not spend enough time to find where the charm was...
It took forever to leave (until packed !) and it took forever to exit the city. Then, it behaved like any normal old 'chicken'
bus, stopping every couple of minutes. It however went down all the way to the beach, saving us a 1.5km walk from the main road.
See also the trip from Lago de Yojoa
